Sam Smith: They’d been through all the speeches except for one, the first nine enshrines in the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame Class of 2011.

There was Artis Gilmore, uncharacteristically eloquent, chatty and funny and Tex Winter looking strong standing astride son Chris. There was a wonderfully dramatic talk raising the horrors of the segregated South by the son of the late Harlem Globetrotter Reece “Goose” Tatum, an evocative walk by Chris Mullin through his trials and triumphs, a passionate thanks from four time Olympic gold medalist Teresa Edwards and a comfortable-as-your-next-door neighbor session with NCAA wins leader Herb McGee from Philadelphia University.

And then, in the grand Symphony Hall in Springfield, Mass. near where Dr. James Naismith invented the game, came not exactly what the Canadian doctor ever envisioned. Yes, it was time for Dennis Rodman, wearing his second outfit for the evening, a black jacket with red piping and scarf with his Chicago and Detroit uniform numbers in sequins, a lace shirt with white sneakers and a CD pin to commemorate his late Pistons coach Chuck Daly... >> Full story

“If you’re going to have longevity in this league, you have to make your mark in some way,” said Bulls EVP of Basketball Operations John Paxson of Dennis Rodman. “He did it at such a high level by rebounding and defending. He took pride in the fact that he could rebound the basketball. And when he’d chase down the ball or be in a crowd and tip it and tip and tip it until he came up with the ball, those were plays that energized our fans and our team.”

While Rodman may now be known more for his personality and figure in the pop culture world, when he enters the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 12, you can be certain it’s his defensive and rebounding abilities that will be recalled. Well, maybe his wardrobe, too.

“It’s a wonderful tribute for Dennis and what he did in his career,” said Paxson of Rodman’s enshrinement. “I’m not sure we’ve ever encountered as unique of a personality in our game. He was someone who did it for a couple different teams and did it successfully. Dennis, in some ways, is a shy guy, even though there are so many times he doesn’t appear to be. I’m sure he’s humbled by this type of honor, but he’s earned it, and it’s a wonderful thing for him.” >> Full story

Long before Dennis Rodman helped the Chicago Bulls to their second three-peat, and even prior to his days as a member of the rival Bad Boys, Scottie Pippen had an eye on his future nemesis and teammate. While the two took to the court on opposite sides during a bitter rivalry between Chicago and Detroit Pistons in the late 1980s, it was hope and respect that first came to mind for Pippen when hearing Rodman’s name.

“He was the one guy who gave me hope that I could make it professionally from an NAIA school,” Pippen said of Rodman. “So I followed his career and I had a lot of respect for what he did in college, being a top rebounder and a very good defender. He was able to carry that on to the league and helped the Pistons solidify a championship team.” >> Full story

Sam Smith: The big men of his era always were underappreciated, and so it was for Artis Gilmore as well, despite leading the ABA in rebounding four of his five seasons there, finishing his college career at Jacksonville with the highest ever NCAA rebounding average, 22.7, and in 1976, going to the NBA and the Bulls and making six NBA All-Star teams.

The 7-2 Gilmore averaged 18.1 points and 12.3 rebounds in his combined ABA/NBA career. But he still holds the record for career field goal percentage, and along with Wilt, shares the record for the fourth best in league history.

“One of my favorite trivia questions is, ‘In 1971 Julius Erving and George McGinnis were ABA rookies. Who was the rookie of the year?’ Artis Gilmore,’” said Dan Issel, Gilmore’s teammate in Kentucky. “And he was league MVP that season as well.”

On Aug. 12, he will no longer be overlooked. That’s because Gilmore will be part of the Class of 2011 to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. >> Full story

Sam Smith: Tex Winter became famous for popularizing the triple-post, sideline triangle, or simply, triangle offense, a basketball system based on equal opportunity. It was a system based on ball movement and player movement with purpose. The reaction was to what the defense does.

Sure, the Bulls with Michael Jordan had the biggest star of the game, hardly just another guy. But the system was flexible enough to adjust for individual brilliance within the team concept, which was a crucial element of the success of the 1990's Bulls and 2000's Lakers. Think of some of the guys who starred at the biggest times: John Paxson, Steve Kerr and Bobby Hansen in Chicago, just to name a few.

It was that same system which enabled Winter in a fabulous college career to defeat teams led by the transcendent stars of the day, like Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson. Of course, you also need talent. >> Full story

Sam Smith: Dennis Rodman was different. Oh, and there was the multicolored, creatively shaped hair, the wedding dress outfit to marry himself, leaving the Bulls during the 1998 NBA Finals for a WWF wrestling appearance, head butting a referee, kicking a cameraman and the eye, ear and nose piercings, too.

But more significantly, there was the difference on the basketball court, which Aug. 12 will bring Rodman to what would seem the unlikeliest destination for this dead end kid of sports, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2011. >> Full story